Are You Game? (Niall Horan)

Chapter 8

This chapter is for Bethany because she inspired me with the airport scene :) Love you girl!

He slowly pulled away. I was reluctant to let him go, but his lips lingered on mine, mouth parted slightly and exhaling warm, sweet smelling puffs of breath on my face. I slid my hands down, resting my palms against his chest. His heart was beating as fast as mine. Did I do that?

"I have to go. My flight leaves in thirty minutes." His lips whispered, a centimeter away from mine.

And the airport was a twenty minute drive from here.

"I'll take you." I whispered back.

He laughed quietly, ducking his head down to look at our shoes. Then he looked up, right into my eyes, completely serious. I would never get over the intensity of his beautiful blue orbs.

"You would leave your 18th birthday party, to take me to the airport?"

"I see these people every day." I smirked. "They can live without me for a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" He wanted me to come, I could tell. "Isn't it rude to just leave?"

I hadn't thought about that... "Ehh, I'm eighteen now. They can't tell me what to do!" Before he could protest I turned, told the people in a general statement I would be back later, and dragged Niall through the house by his hand. Picking up my keys and wallet on the way to the door. My parents were too busy talking to notice.

When I started the ignition, I looked at the clock and yelped. "It's midnight!" I didn't realize it was so late. Looking back on it, I probably should've told my friends to start making their way home. My parents had probably just a little too much to drink to notice.

Peeling out of the driveway, we hit the road. 20 miles an hour faster than the legal speed limit.

"Woah there speedy-mclaren! We've got time. No need to try to kill us!" Niall chuckled nervously.

"Oh yeah. Whoops..."

He reached his hand across the center console and I took it. His thumb rubbed circles over the back of my hand in reassurance.

"You know, it's never really hit me that you're leaving." I said into our silence. The only sound was the steady muffled rumblings of the revolving tires over the paved roadway.

"Is that because I was still in the U.S.?" He asked after a few moments of thinking.

"Probably. But now..." I trailed off, fighting for control of my emotions.

I will not cry. I will not cry. Do NOT get soppy now Felicity Lorraine Carswell.

I was thinking about asking him what was so important that he wanted to tell me earlier when his phone whistled at him and interrupted my thoughts.

Out of my peripheral vision I saw him pull it out of his coat pocket, but had to keep my eyes on the dark foggy road. Did I mention it's foggy a lot in Eureka? Almost every day. But tonight the density was particularly bad so I had to keep my eyes peeled for those drunk-driving idiots.

"Awh shit." Niall moaned, pocketing his phone.

"What is it? Is your flight delayed?" I asked, hopeful.

"No, it's worse than that. Do you know a back way into the airport?" He was running his hand through his hair, something he only did when he was stressed.

"Um, no? I've only been to this airport like, two other times. And it's not your typical LAX you know. It's a municipal airport."

He let out a string of bad words I could care less to repeat. I didn't even recognize half of them. I wondered if they were Irish slang because the madder and more irritated he got, the thicker his accent became.